PixelVision, Inc., a leader in the development and manufacture of high performance CCDs and CCD cameras, will collaborate with leading neurobiology system integrators and researchers from OptImaging, LLC, to design and manufacture a nearly ideal 2500 frame/second CCD imaging camera for neuroscience applications. This state-of-the-art device will exhibit greater than 90% quantum efficiency in the visible region of the spectrum, greater than one billion electron well capacity, and less than 25 electrons noise. The proposed NeuroCCD sensor will overcome many of the limitations associated with current technology, viz., the poor sensitivity, low spatial resolution, and relatively high noise typical of conventional photodiode approaches, and the very low dynamic range and poor temporal resolution associated with existing CCD cameras. The NeuroCCD camera will be packaged in a flexible, easy-to-use, and affordable turnkey imaging system, and will be supplied with software developed specifically for functional imaging applications in neuroscience. The NeuroCCD sensor and camera system will be designed in a Phase I effort and a prototype camera system, using currently available PixelVision high-speed CCD imagers, will be used to demonstrate the electronics and software. During Phase II, the custom CCD fabrication for the new sensor will be completed, and its design optimized. The CCD will then be integrated with camera electronics, computer interface, and application specific software. The resulting NeuroCCD camera system will then be tested and its performance validated in several realistic research environments. It will be compared with conventional CCD and photodiode array systems, its superior performance will be confirmed, and it will be further optimized for commercial markets. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: NOT AVAILABLE